General elections were held in Dominica on 12 June 1995 for the 21 elected seats in the House of Assembly using a first-past-the-post system.

Electoral System

The unicameral Parliament of Dominica, the House of Assembly, is composed of 21 elected Representatives, in single-member constituencies through a first-past-the-post system. Of the remaining eleven members, nine are appointed by the President (five on the advice of the Prime Minister and four on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition); and two - the Speaker and the Attorney General - are ex-officio. The normal duration of the legislature is five years.

Background

Following the previous (May 1990) general elections, the ruling Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) in August 1993 elected Brian Alleyne, the Minister of External Affairs, to succeed to the leadership of the party upon the retirement of long-time Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles.  Moreover, in October 1993, Crispin Sorhaindo, formerly the Speaker of the House of Assembly, succeeded Clarence Seignoret as President. 

Political Parties & Candidates

Seventy-eight candidates including two independents contested the election.  Three political parties presented candidates for the election.

Election Campaign

During the campaign, Alleyne stressed the economic achievements under the DFP Administration.  The two opposition parties, the United Workers Party (UWP) and the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), criticised the DFP and its leader for bringing the country into economic decline and offered themselves to lead the country into the 21st century and to turn around the economy. 

Results

On polling day, the centre-left UWP dominated won 11 of the 21 elected seats in the National Assembly.  (The DFP and DLP, led by Rosie Douglas, each won 5.)

Voter Turnout

Voter turnout was 65.18%.

Post-Election